When potential clients come to me and my agency The Social Rising looking for support launching their brand on social, there’s a checklist that immediately runs through my mind. While having a great idea and the drive to see it through are needed to even start, there are five things that I believe you need before you can launch your brand on social media. I’ll list them out below as well as some best practices to accompany each!

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1. Username: This one may seem obvious, but picking out the right username can be tough when the first one you wanted is already taken. It’s also important that your username is easy to spell and clearly represents your brand. For example, you wouldn’t want to choose a username with abbreviations but instead you should spell out each part of your business name. I’ve seen things along the lines of “HGMSP” when the business name is actually “HotelGroupMinneapolisStPaul.” That’s not a real business name, but you get the idea. My point is, when you’re coming up with a name for your business and thus the username you’ll claim on social media, make sure it’s easy to spell and available for use.

2. Logo for Social Media: The logo for your social media profile whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads or something else should be circular. But, more often than not, the standard format you’ll receive from a graphic designer is horizontal. Be sure to ask for both! Horizontal is great for things like your website, business cards, and so on, and circular is perfect for social media. Additionally, you want a logo that has contrasting colors so it will pop on social. It’s a small image size, so choose recognizable colors for your brand. If you want to take it the extra mile, you could use a brand mark as your social media logo. This means a small icon that is associated with your brand. For example, the Netflix logo is the entire word spelled out, but in Instagram they just use the “N” as a smaller, brandmark style of a logo.

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3. Brand Colors: Because social media is all about brand awareness, make sure that you have brand colors set in place before you begin posting! This way, when you do things like add text to reels, post to stories, create graphic carousel posts, and add highlights to your profile you can do so using your brand colors. The consistency in color choice makes a huge difference in making your brand look professional and memorable. Even if people don’t consciously realize it’s happening, subconsciously they’re beginning to associate your brand colors with your brand.

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4. Library of Photos and Videos: The key with social media is consistency, and to be consistent you need photos and videos to post. This means that before you even post your first photo, you should have a library to pull from. This way you can stay consistent with your posting cadence instead of posting that one good photo you had, and then taking another 3 weeks before you have anything worth sharing. Instead, hold onto that first photo, capture more, then begin posting so you can build momentum during your initial launch!

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5. Strategy: Last but certainly not least, strategy. Social media is so much more than posting a pretty picture, crossing your fingers, and hoping for the best. Who is your target audience? What tone do you want to use when talking to them? How often do you want to post? Why should they follow and support you? By getting clear on your strategy before posting, you’ll be able to better craft your message and attract ideal clients through your social media posts.

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I hope you’ve found this checklist helpful! As much as you may want to hit the ground running as soon as you have your idea (I know because I’m the same way) it’s worth it to set yourself up for success by gathering all the items I’ve listed here.

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If you’re looking for social media marketing support, I’d love to chat. You can use this link to set up a discovery call. As a bonus, I have two special offers for Raleigh Founded members. 

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The first is a $200 off a strategy session where we do a deep dive of your brand so you can get clear on everything I’ve mentioned you need to have in mind before posting. If you’re already live on social but struggling to grow, this strategy session can also be a great reset. With the discount this session is $450 for Raleigh Founded members.

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The second offer for Raleigh Founded members is a waived kickoff fee ($525) for any monthly marketing package. You can check out the prices for these on my website here.

No matter where you are in your social media journey - it can feel like there is SO MUCH that you don’t know. It’s a constantly changing space and it can be overwhelming trying to keep up. That’s where I come in! Be sure to follow me on social media @thesocialrising and don’t hesitate to reach out with any of your social media questions. I’m here to help!